The question we keep asking

Living in Meyersdale used to be like living in Mayberry with neighbors sitting on their front porches reminiscing about the recent high school football game or church supper they attended.

Not too proud to wave at passers -by and wave a friendly hello just like they knew them all their lives. Folks even placed flags out front of their homes to celebrate Independence Day and Memorial Day and show their support for the sacrifices that many had given to allow them the freedoms that so many take for granted.

Ah, the good old days, like so many miss, just a distant memory for folks who now reside in Meyersdale, once the friendly all-American city, now the center point of a drug trafficking epidemic that has transformed our little Mayberry to the likes of Baltimore or D.C. or any other major city that has dealers hanging out on every corner.

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Neighbors still are seen sitting on their front porches, but not just to be friendly anymore but to watch out for each other. These neighbors work regular jobs but as a result of insufficient police protection, the neighbors are now forced to take over where the police leave off. No we are not pretending to be a self-guided neighborhood police department but feel at this point that we all need to watch out for each other.

The town council has been advised the mayor has been told and they all seem to think we are just imagining things. Denial is their excuse, however when election time comes around we will not be in denial of voicing our displeasure with their actions or the lack of. The neighbors are working their jobs and keeping watch over the neighborhood until the wee hours just to feel safe and be alert to any suspicious activity.

The question we keep asking ourselves is why do we have to do this? We have a police force; we see them patrolling but you never see them enforcing any drug related laws. You can sit on our street any given day or night and see deals going down and no police can be found. They tell us they can’t be everywhere at once, and we understand that, then explain to us the reason that you wanted to get rid of a local officer who resides here in Meyersdale.

Or perhaps why when you were told about an illegal smoking party going on just up the street your response was I’m by myself I can’t do anything. You do wear a badge don’t you? It’s not too hard to see where I’m going with this. The taxpaying citizens are paying for a police force and working it at the same time.

What we keep asking is where’s the Drug Task Force? I guess our little town isn’t big enough to make the headlines and get them the recognition that makes their heads spin. Look at Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Westmoreland counties and you’ll see an active Drug Task Force making arrests and making headlines. When was the last time you read the paper to see anything happening with our Somerset County Drug Task Force? Now you understand why we keep asking where the Drug Task Force is and when will it stop?